Lands of Red and Gold, Act II
- Thread starter Jared
- Start date
I didn't think of it like that originally, but yeah-- the Byzantine-Ottoman (empire long gone, empire yet to come) parallels really are strong.
Especially when one of the "customs" Yigutji cares (cared?) so much about was the "First Speaker" prerogative, at least in dealings with outsiders.
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The Raduru people still exist. They haven't had any contact with the Hunter's forces in the short-term, though. This is partly because the geography is really against making even a probing raid (the Raduru are at the base of an escarpment which is not easy to descend from), but mostly because the conquest of Port Percy (*Sydney) was a casual strike rather than a stage of a planned conquest further south. The Hunter only conquered Port Percy as a matter of opportunism; the English traders were annoying him by continuing to trade with the Nuttana, and he figured that he could give them a shock while they weren't really prepared for it.
The Raduru have had a variety of contact with both Europeans, Nuttana and Maori. From the European point of view they were broadly recognised as being within the English sphere, and from the Nuttana point of view they were worth an occasional visit but not much more. The EIC visited them, of course, and had a vague acknowledgement of suzerainty, but in practice they had nothing of value that the EIC couldn't also gain elsewhere, and so the level of involvement was not great. The Raduru were also firmly Plirite - as are many of the east coast peoples south of OTL Sydney - and so rebuffed any visits by Christian priests (not that the EIC does a lot of that anyway).
So in practical terms the Raduru are still around and have just reverted to effective independence.
Over the course of the Hunter's tale so far I've experimented with a variety of ways of showing how the Hunter and his campaigns play out. Not every battle in the past has been described in any detail; for instance, in the Second Yaluma, the key battle was only referenced in the context of an introduction to a theatrical play which was set there. In this case, I thought it would be different to show the reactions to a battle (by the Tjarrlinghi themselves) without ever describing or even naming the battle.
Of course, that doesn't mean that I've stopped describing battles. Rest assured that at least one more major battle in the invasion of the Five Rivers will be described in considerable detail.
The next chapter to be published is one which is actually going to be written now (most of these chapters were written some time ago), because I've decided to do a "helicopter view" of what the Dominion is like around the time of the fall of Yigutji. So there will be glimpses of life for the Kiyungu, life in Daluming, and a few other tidbits like that. Once that's published, the following chapter resumes showing what's happening in the Five Rivers, and includes some reactions to what's happened with Yigutji falling.
The cannons and clocks were indeed references to Cannon, Clocks & Crops. But the intended point of those was quite different. The reference to clocks was intended to show that some Aururians have now reached the point where they can make their own clocks. This is symbolic of how much their manufacturing is progressing and how in some ways they have caught up to European levels of technology. The Dominion obviously hasn't developed that technology in most areas (with one exception re technology in Daluming which will be shown in the next chapter), but the Hunter is perfectly capable of using this kind of technology if they acquire it through conquest (either the clocks or the region which produces the clocks).
The other reason for using the idea with the clocks was to show that the Hunter is fallible. Not all of his ideas work. I mean, realistically, all the clocks did was allow two assaults to be coordinated. That would only succeed if the defenders lacked enough manpower to respond to both assaults, but as was pointed out, they had plenty of defenders. The assault was a bad gamble which lost.
In terms of the cannon, the reference to cannon in Cannon, Clocks & Crops was to show that peoples around the world needed to be able to pick up military technology to survive. The Dominion has certainly picked up how to use cannon. It's also a nod to how the Mongols became most effective at siege warfare after they enlisted various siege experts (such as the Chinese).
River warfare is actually something that the Five Rivers peoples are fairly good at. There was a reference in this chapter to how the Dominion forces needed to keep far enough from the river to be out of range of the cannon which the Five Rivers forces have on their boats. The Five Rivers have become very good at riverine shipbuilding - it's what they use for trade, of which they do a lot - and have some experience mounting cannon on riverboats.
The River Murray and Murrumbidgee are navigable for riverboats and have been used as such for centuries (water is highest in spring but navigable throughout the year), though many of the other tributaries are not reliable. So riverboats would have some uses. The biggest risk for the Dominion is that while they can get forces across reasonably easily (small boats, improvised rafts, etc), they risk being divided if there are armed riverboats in the area.
In terms of the Dominion acquiring its own (riverine) navy, the kingdom of Yigutji had its share of shipbuilding yards, of course. The largest ones were next to the city of Yigutji, which were naturally wrecked even before the city proper fell, but there are others available, such as in Garrkimang. So there is scope to build some riverboats there. Though they would do better to capture some intact from Tjibarr to be really effective.
Fortunately he does have a lot of cannon by now, and has worked out how to use them.
Not entirely impossible, but the population base is rather lower than anything that Ethiopia had. It would help if the lowland areas to either side hold off European conquest for as long as possible.
I wasn't consciously going for that vibe, but I can see how it would create that reaction.
Depending on the era:
(1) For security to stop highland raids - this is true in almost any era;
(2) For religious motivations - if the Dominion gets that far or if it occurs in an era when Europeans are trying to spread Christianity and not just come for trade;
(3) To stop someone else doing it - if this is in a time of competition among European powers, say;
(4) For economic reasons - land for running sheep or horses, or if there's a further boom in sweet peppers; or
(5) Because they can - sometimes powers expand simply because they want to conquer their neighbours. The Yadji would have conquered the highlands if it was feasible, for instance. The ability was lacking, not the will.
Sometimes these reasons may well overlap, of course.
Map - Rise of the Dominion
This is a very rough map of the rise of the Dominion, showing the early pre-Dominion conquests within the Neeburra, and the five declared Yalumas, ie those with the Hunter at their head. It also shows the non-Yaluma conquests, ie the territories which the Dominion's armies had acquired in the name of the Hunter but without the Hunter declaring a Yaluma to conquer them. The level of control of some of these territories varies, but this shows the approximate territory claimed by the Dominion as of the end of the previous chapter (ie the fall of Yigutji). Note that the Fifth Yaluma has not actually been declared closed, since its target is the whole of the Five Rivers, and as of the most recent chapter only the kingdom of Yigutji had fallen.
This map is my rough amendment of a previous map by Scarecrow (full credit to him for the original), and for the non-Dominion territories I've retained his colour scheme and key to show how those territories align.
This map is my rough amendment of a previous map by Scarecrow (full credit to him for the original), and for the non-Dominion territories I've retained his colour scheme and key to show how those territories align.
Well, this is quite huge, though the most densely populated bits of the mainland are not (yet?) in the Dominion. How many people live uner the Hunter at this point? I would ballpark something in the neighbourhood of a million and half maybe?
With their lifestyle of ranching and cattle-grazing, the Dominion seem like the first group capable of extending "settled Aururia" much further inland, through the Channel Country around Lake Eyre and the Mitchell Grass Downs further north. As the Neeburra gets crowded and the coastal provinces get only more so, might we see down-on-their-luck people deciding to buy a herd, get some training, and head off further inland, past the traditional bounds of civilization...
After all this messing around in the Five Rivers, the dust will settle-- and when it does, the "red heart" of the continent is going to be up for a Scramble. National prestige, blocking other countries' claims, establishing a transport route to more lucrative lands... all valid reasons to demand a slice of the cake. And once the 20th century's resource-extraction techniques emerge, that slice will prove to have been worth it. At the very least, you could use it for nuclear weapons testing.
The Portuguese already have inland routes from the north taking them at least as far as Namala. The Nuttana have Cape York, but are locked out of expansion inland by the Dominion. As much as it would be fun for a Nguril-Kaoma empire to be established as a mini-Dominion, with a mountain core and coastal hinterland, we're probably going to see some outside power subsume the confused mess of tribes, towns, and Maori colonies in the southeast. The south coast has the Dutch on one side, the classic Aururian states on the other, and the Nullarbor in between (Is the Nangu outpost "Isolation" still around, or did they pack up and leave amid the Island's collapse?). This leaves the northwest from Kimberley to Pilbara completely unclaimed. If no one minds, maybe some German pearling company will set up shop there?
Even if this TL was meant to bring Australia away from OTL's European-majority population built through settler-colonialism, the more we go along the more I think that some parts of Aururia will still fall victim to that.
After all this messing around in the Five Rivers, the dust will settle-- and when it does, the "red heart" of the continent is going to be up for a Scramble. National prestige, blocking other countries' claims, establishing a transport route to more lucrative lands... all valid reasons to demand a slice of the cake. And once the 20th century's resource-extraction techniques emerge, that slice will prove to have been worth it. At the very least, you could use it for nuclear weapons testing.
The Portuguese already have inland routes from the north taking them at least as far as Namala. The Nuttana have Cape York, but are locked out of expansion inland by the Dominion. As much as it would be fun for a Nguril-Kaoma empire to be established as a mini-Dominion, with a mountain core and coastal hinterland, we're probably going to see some outside power subsume the confused mess of tribes, towns, and Maori colonies in the southeast. The south coast has the Dutch on one side, the classic Aururian states on the other, and the Nullarbor in between (Is the Nangu outpost "Isolation" still around, or did they pack up and leave amid the Island's collapse?). This leaves the northwest from Kimberley to Pilbara completely unclaimed. If no one minds, maybe some German pearling company will set up shop there?
Even if this TL was meant to bring Australia away from OTL's European-majority population built through settler-colonialism, the more we go along the more I think that some parts of Aururia will still fall victim to that.
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It's quite correct that the majority of the populated bits of mainland Aururia are not yet within the Dominion, though my population figures are not precise.
As of the first date of European contact, the agricultural population of Aururia (including *Tasmania) was ~9.5-10 million. (I've never set a figure for the non-agricultural population). Half of that population lived in the Five Rivers and Durigal (5 million); roughly evenly divided between them. A further 0.85 million or so lived in the economic orbit of those regions (0.4 million Mutjing, 0.05 million Nangu, 0.4 million *Tasmanians). 1.75 million lived in the south-west corner (Atjuntja & friends), leaving ~1.9-2.4 million for all of the rest: the east coast lowlands from the Durigal border to the northerly limits of the Kiyungu, the various highland peoples (Nguril-Kaoma, *New England highlands, small bits in between), and the more scattered agricultural populations of the interior north of the Five Rivers (Yalatji-Butjupa of the Neeburra, and the Panjimundra peoples).
The plagues and other consequences of European contact (wars, social disruption) have reduced the population of Aururia by around 60-70% on average, depending on the region. So these "peripheral" regions now have a population of around 0.6-1.0 million total (not counting some hunter-gatherer migration into those areas). The Dominion now covers much of that population, though not all (the Nguril-Kaoma and the south coast are still free, as are some of the northern Kiyungu and the Nuttana whose population descends from some of that). The Dominion also now includes Yigutji, whose pre-European contact population was around 0.65 million and now with disease and invasion is more like 0.325 million.
So short version, the population of the Dominion is probably close to 1 million but not quite there yet.
Possible in the longer term, although in the shorter term I suspect that the main directions of emigration will be north and south into the more well-watered regions.
Setting aside the question of nuclear testing (which happened in OTL, after all), I'd note that most pre-nineteenth century powers will take one look at the red heart and say "why bother?" There's not much there to interest them in terms of resources, and with one exception, the Europeans are coming here as trading companies who don't believe in wasting endless amounts of shareholders' money on expeditions into worthless desert. After all, the Dutch East India Company knew about OTL Australia and never showed the slightest interest in settlement. Much the same will apply to them and the non-agricultural regions here, particularly the interior.
In terms of the coastal regions, things are a bit different, but not entirely. The coastal regions of the *Nullarbor are entirely unappealing for anyone to colonise in detail. The Nangu had their one outpost of Isolation which was abandoned, and it's not impossible that someone would recolonise that as a sailing outpost. But for the rest, the region has no trees (hence the name), no significant fresh water as it's on limestone and the water just soaks in, and no natural resources worth the effort. So I don't think anyone will bother much there. The south-eastern coast (between OTL Sydney and Mallacoota) will eventually be occupied by someone, though it's harder to say yet who that will be.
The north coast is a different matter. The Portuguese are the early European colonists there, founding missions for religious reasons along much of the northern coast. Those aren't profitable by any means, with the sole exception of the gem-trading outpost which pays for the rest. They don't have much competition yet over that region, simply because the gem outpost is heavily fortified and other Europeans view the rest as worthless. The Nuttana have not yet had much involvement west of Cape York, since they've been a while building themselves up from scratch, but assuming that they survive the expansion of the Dominion (by no means guaranteed), it's quite possible that they may also seek to lodge missions for both religious and strategic reasons. Other Europeans may find occasional points of interest (such as pearls, like you mentioned), but in general they don't care too much about the north coast at this point or, likely, for a while into the future.
I didn't have that specific aim in mind, but in my view the agricultural regions of Aururia are going to remain majority native-descent, with the possible exception of the Atjuntja where they may be only the plurality (combination of European and slave descendants forming a majority between them, but both groups smaller than indigenous descendants).
The reason for this is that the populations are much larger, and the diseases hit in an era when no European powers are going to be sending out a lot of colonists. The populations will hit a minimum around 1720-1740 (depending on region), and then as happened historically, rebound very quickly thereafter. So while political control is another story, in terms of ethnicity we're still looking at majority indigenous descent.
The non-agricultural regions are another story, but even then the population of some of those regions was quite high (particularly the northern coast), and the same considerations apply about population rebounding before settler colonies are likely.
Lands of Red and Gold #121: Glimpses of Dominion
Lands of Red and Gold #121: Glimpses of Dominion
“The intelligence of the universe is social.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, V, 30
* * *
Look, if you will, back in time at the continent of Aururia, as it is appears from beyond the bounds of the world’s air. Seen from this vantage, no signs can be found of the advance of armies and declarations of conquest. Seen from this vantage, the declarations of victory are as insignificant as the squabbling of two tapeworms over who owns the human whose intestines they inhabit.
Look a little closer, above the city that was once called Yigutji, and you will see a pillar of smoke rising into the skies. The armies of the Dominion have been victorious here, and their warleader Tjuwagga has declared conquest of all of the lands that formed part of the eponymous kingdom. That declaration is perhaps slightly premature, for a few remnants of Yigutji’s armies still linger in parts of the kingdom, though they are few in number indeed when compared to the victorious armies of harmony.
Look to the west of former Yigutji, into Tjibarr-of-the-Lakes and Tapiwal and other Gunnagal cities, and you will see many men and women running to and fro, in confusion and fear and manoeuvre. Some had expected that Yigutji would fall, before an army of relief could be properly coordinated with Gutjanal, but few indeed had expected the defeat to happen so swiftly. Now the dance of the factions comes to the fore, as many Gunnagal are now asking themselves whether subtle gambits and delicate manoeuvres were the best preparation for a foe who will not join the Dance, but rather stop the music.
Look to the south of former Yigutji, into Gutjanal and Yalooka and other Gutjanalese cities, and you will see the triumph of division as Elders begin to contemplate whether they would best be served by backing the monarch, launching rebellion, or joining with Tjuwagga. The monarch is left to reflect that while Gutjanal has long been a nation surrounded by enemies, now it is becoming a nation full of enemies.
Look into the lands which have been added to the Dominion, and save for those most recently added in the Fourth and Fifth Yalumas, they have begun to transform under Tjuwagga’s rule. In the Neeburra that forms the old heart of the Dominion, in what were once the lands of the Kiyungu League but which are now called Kerowra, in the lands of Daluming inhabited by the Bungudjimay and their skull-filled pyramid called the Mound of Memory, and in other reaches of the Dominion, the shape of those societies is changing.
Look into the lands of the Neeburra. These were once divided into small townships scattered amongst the sweeping grasslands, where the people farmed the lands near to their towns and hunted amongst the lands further way. With the arrival of horses and cattle, these lands were transformed as the men and women of the Neeburra took up riding and herding. The towns were abandoned, as was most farming, though the people always kept a few wealth-trees and raised ducks to feed the priests among them.
Now, the Neeburra is being transformed again. The herds still roam over the lands, growing larger every year, even with some cattle being sent every year to feed the expanding armies of the Dominion. But where towns were abandoned, now two large encampments have formed where Tjuwagga has designated, Cankoona as his northern capital, and Goonaroi as his southern capital and an encampment where the herders gather to trade and bargain and to receive learning from the priests. For where farming had become rare in the Neeburra, now it is in turn becoming more common, as more people seek to study the ways of the priesthood. For Tjuwagga has declared that the Dominion is founded for all to accept the truth of the True Heir and thus to benefit from its rule, and how can all benefit if there are no proper priests to teach them the truth?
Look at Cankoona, and see how the new encampment is turning into a permanent town. A town which sits at one end of a new-built royal road that runs through the highlands and the Coral Gap and into the lowlands of Kerowra, finishing at the lowland provincial capital of Mullumba. The disparate lands of Neeburra and Kerowra are joined here, and already this has proven a boon for commerce, as many merchants move back and forth bringing goods with them. From the highlands comes hides, leather and smoked meat, while from the lowlands comes spices, paper, iron and other manufactured goods.
Look at Kerowra, one of the eight provinces of the Dominion [1], and you will see how it too is being transformed. In former times Kerowra was the lands of the League, a loosely-affiliated group of independent city-states, which squabbled amongst themselves and where each ruler extracted tolls and levies from trade passing through their territories.
Under the rule of the Dominion, a civilian governor has been appointed at Mullumba, with a staff of priest-bureaucrats who are responsible for administering the entire province. The old royal families have lost their royal privileges, although in most cases they have kept the privilege of existence. Tjuwagga has established a common law code for the entire Dominion, the Code of Burren, based on the findings of a commission of priests who studied the old, different laws of Kerowra, Daluming and the Neeburra, and this law code is applied here. Rules apply for crimes, rules apply for property, and rules apply for trade and the practices of merchants.
These last rules apply not just to merchants of the Dominion, but those who would trade with them. For cultivation of spices suffered some disruption during the time of the First Yaluma, but has been revitalised since. Foreign merchants come where permitted, French and recently Nuttana, and this commerce too is governed. Under Dominion law, only licenced brokers and agents may trade with foreign merchants, and all orders for trade in spices and other goods are coordinated by this new class of brokers at Mullumba.
Mullumba contains not just a civilian government, but a new school for priests, trained in the Tjarrling fashion. The new school has trained many new priests, but so far gained few converts in the broader community of Kerowra. For the Kiyungu already followed the Sevenfold Path, according to the Nangu schools, and their own priests and people have so far been reluctant to convert to the new interpretation of faith.
Look further south to Daluming, and you will see how it is rapidly becoming part of the Dominion. This land was once part of the largest state on the eastern coast of Aururia, a land of head-collectors and pyramid-builders awaiting the Closure, before being shattered by disease and civil war. The fragments fell under the influence of other powers, the Dutch and English and Nuttana, until the armies of the Third Yaluma swept through and cleansed the land of all foreign influences, save of course their own. Here, Tjuwagga declared that the long-prophesied Closure had arrived, had the great pyramid known as the Mound of Memory repaired and completed, and then said that the new world of the Dominion was at hand.
Under the rule of the Dominion, a new provincial capital has been established at Ngampug, a town that was not one of the old ruling cities, but which is now growing as the centre of administration of the new Daluming province. This province includes only the lowlands that stretch north and south; the western highlands have been separated out into their own province.
Here, as in Kerowra, the Code of Burren has been established as a common standard, and here, as in Kerowra, a new school has been established to train new priests. Unlike in Kerowra, here the people are quickly converting to the new faith of Tjarrlinghi, led by the priests of the old religion who have joined the new school en masse to study this interpretation of the Sevenfold Path. The few holdouts are mostly those who converted to Christianity under English rule, and a smaller number in and around the city of Ngutti who follow the Nangu interpretation of the Sevenfold Path.
In Daluming too, Tjuwagga has commanded that a royal road be built connecting the new provincial capital at Ngampug with Goonaroi in the south of the Neeburra. Unlike in Kerowra, however, this new royal road has not been completed, for the mountains between these two cities are far more rugged. This means that while Daluming is still firmly part of the Dominion, in its commerce its people look far more to the sea than the land.
Indeed, look at Yuragir, the old capital of Daluming, and you will see a thriving hub of trade. Spices are a key part of this, grown in the lowlands or brought down the old, inferior roads from the nearby highlands. Here at Yuragir are the licensed brokers of this province, who trade with the French, and more rarely Maori from across the Gray Sea, and in recent times the city has seen a couple of visits from Nangu mariners sailing for Tjibarr.
Increasingly, however, Yuragir has become renowned for another item of trade: glass. Even in the days before the coming of Europeans, Yuragir was a centre of glass production, with small decorative objects of glass such as beads being exported to its neighbours. Following contact with Europeans, the glassmakers of Yuragir have both learned more and experimented more, using the fine sands found around Daluming to produce exquisite glasswares both coloured and clear. From Yuragir, these are exported by sea into Tjibarr and Durigal, across the Gray Sea to Aotearoa, and further away into Asia.
In brief, if you look around the Dominion, you will see the endeavours of Tjuwagga to make one out of many. In his laws, in his administration, in his profession of faith, in his roads and commerce, and in his formation of a common military, he has sought to make conquered peoples into a common people. Those of his advisers who knew of the conversations held between Tjuwagga and his most famous visitor have already started to whisper of this change as the legacy of Pinjarra.
* * *
[1] During the Consolidation, Tjuwagga divided the Dominion into six provinces:
- The northern Neeburra (the old Yalatji lands), with its capital at Cankoona [Toowoomba];
- The southern Neeburra (the old Butjupa lands), with its capital at Goonaroi [near Moree], which also expanded to include the acquisitions amongst the Panjimundra further south;
- Kerowra, which is approximately the lands of the old Kiyungu League but also includes the few Kiyungu cities captured further north;
- The Southern Gemlands, the lands acquired during the Second Yaluma [Northern Tablelands of New South Wales];
- Daluming, which consists of the lowland regions of the old kingdom of that name; and
- Warrbi, which consists of the coastal regions between Daluming and Kerowra that were also captured during the Third Yaluma, with a provincial capital at Yulgilbarra [Lismore, NSW]. This includes the lands of the old Warrbi Confederacy along the Yimir [Richmond River], but also some separate cultures to the north and south.
Following the Consolidation, Tjuwagga later declared two additional provinces:
- Kuyal, which includes both the former kingdom of Murrginhi, the smaller chiefdoms to the north conquered during the Fourth Yaluma, and the lands around Port Percy conquered from the English; and
- The Northern Gemlands, consisting of the lightly-settled regions north of the Neeburra, with a provincial capital at Namala [Emerald, QLD].
The former kingdom of Yigutji has not yet been designated as a province, and potentially may be divided into more than one province.
* * *
Thoughts?
“The intelligence of the universe is social.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, V, 30
* * *
Look, if you will, back in time at the continent of Aururia, as it is appears from beyond the bounds of the world’s air. Seen from this vantage, no signs can be found of the advance of armies and declarations of conquest. Seen from this vantage, the declarations of victory are as insignificant as the squabbling of two tapeworms over who owns the human whose intestines they inhabit.
Look a little closer, above the city that was once called Yigutji, and you will see a pillar of smoke rising into the skies. The armies of the Dominion have been victorious here, and their warleader Tjuwagga has declared conquest of all of the lands that formed part of the eponymous kingdom. That declaration is perhaps slightly premature, for a few remnants of Yigutji’s armies still linger in parts of the kingdom, though they are few in number indeed when compared to the victorious armies of harmony.
Look to the west of former Yigutji, into Tjibarr-of-the-Lakes and Tapiwal and other Gunnagal cities, and you will see many men and women running to and fro, in confusion and fear and manoeuvre. Some had expected that Yigutji would fall, before an army of relief could be properly coordinated with Gutjanal, but few indeed had expected the defeat to happen so swiftly. Now the dance of the factions comes to the fore, as many Gunnagal are now asking themselves whether subtle gambits and delicate manoeuvres were the best preparation for a foe who will not join the Dance, but rather stop the music.
Look to the south of former Yigutji, into Gutjanal and Yalooka and other Gutjanalese cities, and you will see the triumph of division as Elders begin to contemplate whether they would best be served by backing the monarch, launching rebellion, or joining with Tjuwagga. The monarch is left to reflect that while Gutjanal has long been a nation surrounded by enemies, now it is becoming a nation full of enemies.
Look into the lands which have been added to the Dominion, and save for those most recently added in the Fourth and Fifth Yalumas, they have begun to transform under Tjuwagga’s rule. In the Neeburra that forms the old heart of the Dominion, in what were once the lands of the Kiyungu League but which are now called Kerowra, in the lands of Daluming inhabited by the Bungudjimay and their skull-filled pyramid called the Mound of Memory, and in other reaches of the Dominion, the shape of those societies is changing.
Look into the lands of the Neeburra. These were once divided into small townships scattered amongst the sweeping grasslands, where the people farmed the lands near to their towns and hunted amongst the lands further way. With the arrival of horses and cattle, these lands were transformed as the men and women of the Neeburra took up riding and herding. The towns were abandoned, as was most farming, though the people always kept a few wealth-trees and raised ducks to feed the priests among them.
Now, the Neeburra is being transformed again. The herds still roam over the lands, growing larger every year, even with some cattle being sent every year to feed the expanding armies of the Dominion. But where towns were abandoned, now two large encampments have formed where Tjuwagga has designated, Cankoona as his northern capital, and Goonaroi as his southern capital and an encampment where the herders gather to trade and bargain and to receive learning from the priests. For where farming had become rare in the Neeburra, now it is in turn becoming more common, as more people seek to study the ways of the priesthood. For Tjuwagga has declared that the Dominion is founded for all to accept the truth of the True Heir and thus to benefit from its rule, and how can all benefit if there are no proper priests to teach them the truth?
Look at Cankoona, and see how the new encampment is turning into a permanent town. A town which sits at one end of a new-built royal road that runs through the highlands and the Coral Gap and into the lowlands of Kerowra, finishing at the lowland provincial capital of Mullumba. The disparate lands of Neeburra and Kerowra are joined here, and already this has proven a boon for commerce, as many merchants move back and forth bringing goods with them. From the highlands comes hides, leather and smoked meat, while from the lowlands comes spices, paper, iron and other manufactured goods.
Look at Kerowra, one of the eight provinces of the Dominion [1], and you will see how it too is being transformed. In former times Kerowra was the lands of the League, a loosely-affiliated group of independent city-states, which squabbled amongst themselves and where each ruler extracted tolls and levies from trade passing through their territories.
Under the rule of the Dominion, a civilian governor has been appointed at Mullumba, with a staff of priest-bureaucrats who are responsible for administering the entire province. The old royal families have lost their royal privileges, although in most cases they have kept the privilege of existence. Tjuwagga has established a common law code for the entire Dominion, the Code of Burren, based on the findings of a commission of priests who studied the old, different laws of Kerowra, Daluming and the Neeburra, and this law code is applied here. Rules apply for crimes, rules apply for property, and rules apply for trade and the practices of merchants.
These last rules apply not just to merchants of the Dominion, but those who would trade with them. For cultivation of spices suffered some disruption during the time of the First Yaluma, but has been revitalised since. Foreign merchants come where permitted, French and recently Nuttana, and this commerce too is governed. Under Dominion law, only licenced brokers and agents may trade with foreign merchants, and all orders for trade in spices and other goods are coordinated by this new class of brokers at Mullumba.
Mullumba contains not just a civilian government, but a new school for priests, trained in the Tjarrling fashion. The new school has trained many new priests, but so far gained few converts in the broader community of Kerowra. For the Kiyungu already followed the Sevenfold Path, according to the Nangu schools, and their own priests and people have so far been reluctant to convert to the new interpretation of faith.
Look further south to Daluming, and you will see how it is rapidly becoming part of the Dominion. This land was once part of the largest state on the eastern coast of Aururia, a land of head-collectors and pyramid-builders awaiting the Closure, before being shattered by disease and civil war. The fragments fell under the influence of other powers, the Dutch and English and Nuttana, until the armies of the Third Yaluma swept through and cleansed the land of all foreign influences, save of course their own. Here, Tjuwagga declared that the long-prophesied Closure had arrived, had the great pyramid known as the Mound of Memory repaired and completed, and then said that the new world of the Dominion was at hand.
Under the rule of the Dominion, a new provincial capital has been established at Ngampug, a town that was not one of the old ruling cities, but which is now growing as the centre of administration of the new Daluming province. This province includes only the lowlands that stretch north and south; the western highlands have been separated out into their own province.
Here, as in Kerowra, the Code of Burren has been established as a common standard, and here, as in Kerowra, a new school has been established to train new priests. Unlike in Kerowra, here the people are quickly converting to the new faith of Tjarrlinghi, led by the priests of the old religion who have joined the new school en masse to study this interpretation of the Sevenfold Path. The few holdouts are mostly those who converted to Christianity under English rule, and a smaller number in and around the city of Ngutti who follow the Nangu interpretation of the Sevenfold Path.
In Daluming too, Tjuwagga has commanded that a royal road be built connecting the new provincial capital at Ngampug with Goonaroi in the south of the Neeburra. Unlike in Kerowra, however, this new royal road has not been completed, for the mountains between these two cities are far more rugged. This means that while Daluming is still firmly part of the Dominion, in its commerce its people look far more to the sea than the land.
Indeed, look at Yuragir, the old capital of Daluming, and you will see a thriving hub of trade. Spices are a key part of this, grown in the lowlands or brought down the old, inferior roads from the nearby highlands. Here at Yuragir are the licensed brokers of this province, who trade with the French, and more rarely Maori from across the Gray Sea, and in recent times the city has seen a couple of visits from Nangu mariners sailing for Tjibarr.
Increasingly, however, Yuragir has become renowned for another item of trade: glass. Even in the days before the coming of Europeans, Yuragir was a centre of glass production, with small decorative objects of glass such as beads being exported to its neighbours. Following contact with Europeans, the glassmakers of Yuragir have both learned more and experimented more, using the fine sands found around Daluming to produce exquisite glasswares both coloured and clear. From Yuragir, these are exported by sea into Tjibarr and Durigal, across the Gray Sea to Aotearoa, and further away into Asia.
In brief, if you look around the Dominion, you will see the endeavours of Tjuwagga to make one out of many. In his laws, in his administration, in his profession of faith, in his roads and commerce, and in his formation of a common military, he has sought to make conquered peoples into a common people. Those of his advisers who knew of the conversations held between Tjuwagga and his most famous visitor have already started to whisper of this change as the legacy of Pinjarra.
* * *
[1] During the Consolidation, Tjuwagga divided the Dominion into six provinces:
- The northern Neeburra (the old Yalatji lands), with its capital at Cankoona [Toowoomba];
- The southern Neeburra (the old Butjupa lands), with its capital at Goonaroi [near Moree], which also expanded to include the acquisitions amongst the Panjimundra further south;
- Kerowra, which is approximately the lands of the old Kiyungu League but also includes the few Kiyungu cities captured further north;
- The Southern Gemlands, the lands acquired during the Second Yaluma [Northern Tablelands of New South Wales];
- Daluming, which consists of the lowland regions of the old kingdom of that name; and
- Warrbi, which consists of the coastal regions between Daluming and Kerowra that were also captured during the Third Yaluma, with a provincial capital at Yulgilbarra [Lismore, NSW]. This includes the lands of the old Warrbi Confederacy along the Yimir [Richmond River], but also some separate cultures to the north and south.
Following the Consolidation, Tjuwagga later declared two additional provinces:
- Kuyal, which includes both the former kingdom of Murrginhi, the smaller chiefdoms to the north conquered during the Fourth Yaluma, and the lands around Port Percy conquered from the English; and
- The Northern Gemlands, consisting of the lightly-settled regions north of the Neeburra, with a provincial capital at Namala [Emerald, QLD].
The former kingdom of Yigutji has not yet been designated as a province, and potentially may be divided into more than one province.
* * *
Thoughts?
Interesting. Is Kerowra a name devised by the Yalatji or the Kiyungu? Also, is there currently a depiction somewhere of what the Five Rivers scripts look like? I'd be happy to design one, if there's interest for it.
EDIT: Going off of what has already been mentioned in both threads about the spoken languages and scripts, I've designed a Classical Gunnagal script framework with room for... 490 distinct syllabic characters, at the maximum. Removing impossible or unused syllables lowers the count to around 440. And later variants of Gunnagal (including the other languages which have split off entirely) have more consonants, which bumps up the character count even more for some variants of the script. And there's a parallel group of 200 logographs.
If this script survives unmodified until TTL's 1900s, I'll be very surprised. Although some of the Ashkettle-Clements dialogues imply that it probably doesn't.
EDIT: Going off of what has already been mentioned in both threads about the spoken languages and scripts, I've designed a Classical Gunnagal script framework with room for... 490 distinct syllabic characters, at the maximum. Removing impossible or unused syllables lowers the count to around 440. And later variants of Gunnagal (including the other languages which have split off entirely) have more consonants, which bumps up the character count even more for some variants of the script. And there's a parallel group of 200 logographs.
If this script survives unmodified until TTL's 1900s, I'll be very surprised. Although some of the Ashkettle-Clements dialogues imply that it probably doesn't.
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Kerowra is a Yalatji name. It's been applied by them to the new province, without really consulting the Kiyungu. Though the Kiyungu won't really object too strongly to the name.
I'd certainly be interested in seeing a Five Rivers script. Though I do have to point out that I've never actually designed a full list of syllables or full language; the words which are used in the timeline are more or less all of the ones I've invented. So there's probably scope for some interpretation of what syllables actually work in the various historical points of the timeline.
I'd also note that in terms of additional consonants, a lot of that represents linguistic drift and not all descendant languages have all of the same consonants. (Kiyungu is probably the most divergent Gunnagalic language, most notably including a "q" sound which was adopted from the substrate language). So the Five Rivers script shouldn't be expected to accommodate them all. Things get even more complicated because in Proto-Gunnagal, some sounds were allophones (b and p, for instance), which later evolved into distinct sounds in some languages, which means that in those languages the Five Rivers script doesn't really represent things thoroughly.
It may still used for some symbolic and ceremonial purposes, but certainly for everyday use it will be replaced by something else.
There's a variety of things which will flow from the development of the Dominion, but perhaps the biggest is the creation of a unified economic zone with improved (though not perfect) transportation links between them, which will lead to a more productive and probably wealthier region.
Lands of Red and Gold #122: A Man Of Vision
Lands of Red and Gold #122: A Man Of Vision
“This above all — to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene III
“Beat the drums – ride to war
Beat the drums – load the guns
Beat the drums – who fears death?
Beat the drums – none of us!”
- Marching song of the Harmony Battalion, 1719
* * *
1 January 1720
Outside former Yigutji [Wagga Wagga], Dominion of Harmony
Malligo sat on horseback, with the Hunter on his immediate left and Kyulibah on the Hunter’s other hand. Ahead of them, Yigutji burned, though the smoke had been reduced to occasional bursts rather than the black pillar which it had been for the first days. Other soldiers were around, but all of them discreetly out of hearing range.
Kyulibah said, “Where to from here, High Warego?”
The Hunter’s gaze remained fixed on the walls. Perhaps he was looking for Puckapunyal, whose corpse had not been found, and he had not been seen amongst those who fled. But then, with the flames so intense, the odds of finding the body were low even if the king had died.
At length, the Hunter said, “I have considered moving to Garrkimang [Narrandera]. The old homeland of conquerors second only to myself. It will make a good base while the rest of Yigutji is subdued.”
Malligo said, “Garrkimang will make a good capital for the Five Rivers under the Dominion, but it would be imprudent to wait there long.”
Kyulibah said, “You think that Tjibarr will move into our new lands?”
“Not with their armies, alas,” Malligo said. “They will not be so foolish. It would be easier if they did. Waiting here would be imprudent because while the city has fallen, Yigutji has not. Not properly.”
“Yigutji has no proper armies left,” Kyulibah said.
“More can be raised,” Malligo said. “There are still opponents here. Worse, it may not be the kind of opposition who meets in open battle, but who strikes from raid or in the night. Tjibarr will send agents and arms to encourage opposition. Gutjanal may do the same, too.”
“Raids can be countered,” Kyulibah said.
“With time, blood and treasure, yes. But while doing so, this would not be consolidating the High Warego’s rule. Tjibarr will be undermining all such efforts, and there are enough unhappy Yigutjians to work with Tjibarr in unrest, raids, and in time, revolt.”
“You want me to strike at the heart, then. At Tjibarr,” the Hunter said.
“As soon as it is safe to do so.”
“Why not just close the borders to Tjibarr?” Kyulibah asked.
“It cannot be done. Not properly. There is too much trade, too many men moving goods too many ways, to seal out all of Tjibarr’s influence. Even if we succeed, somehow, blocking trade will upset too many men of consequence here, who will then revolt anyway. I suggest that Tjibarr be invaded with all reasonable haste, as soon as the armies can be reorganised and resupplied, and any unneeded plunder sent back to the Neeburra to wait.”
The Hunter studied the half-broken walls of Yigutji again for some time before he responded. “It shall be done. Tjibarr must fall.”
Kyulibah looked at Malligo. “How will you feel, invading your homeland?”
“My old homeland,” Malligo said. “I hope that they submit quickly. It will take at least one defeat for them to capitulate. After that, the example of Yigutji should be persuasive.”
“And if not?”
“Then one of their cities can be besieged, and go the same way as Yigutji.” Malligo shrugged. “The rest will submit quickly after that.”
* * *
From a letter dated Goanna Day, Cycle of Brass, 30th Year of His Majesty Guwariyan the Second (1 January 1720)
To Gurragang of the Whites from your friend Bunatjira of the Golds: May you continue to grow in courage, wealth and insight. May you stand firm against the rigours of misfortune.
[Translator’s note: Tjibarri letters traditionally begin with a variety of ritual pleasantries. May you stand firm against the rigours of misfortune is not one of those traditional phrasings. Going outside of the standard sayings would in most circumstances be considered a grave insult, though a threat as severe as the Hunter would allow forgiveness of most insults.]
Yigutji has fallen. As Weemiraga is said to have remarked at his funeral, I expected this day, but not so soon. Reliable reports are difficult to obtain, but it appears that Tjuwagga’s cannon broke the city’s once nigh-impregnable walls. The kingdom is, for now, at an end.
Tjibarr-of-the-Lakes is not so vulnerable, so long as we keep control of the waters.
[Translator’s note: This is because Tjibarr-of-the-Lakes was surrounded by water on all sides. The Nyalananga [River Murray] was to the north, the Anerina [River Loddon] to the east, and artificial lagoons to west and south. The roads between the lagoons were easily flooded in the event of threat, which meant that the city was surrounded by water and very difficult to capture unless an attacker could first gain naval control.]
Alas, that matters naught. Even if the city holds, the Dominion’s armies could ravage far too much of our countryside. Victory would then be only a more pleasant name for defeat.
The time, then, is past for contemplation of insights and plans. Subtlety has its place, but now it is a matter of blood and powder. We must meet the Hunter’s forces on the battlefield soon. You must ready yourself for one great battle, as must we all, to ensure that Tjibarr does not suffer the same fate as Yigutji.
(Signed) Bunatjira of the Golds
* * *
From: Jamberoo’s Decisive Battles in World History
Battle of Yangan
The Battle of Yangan [Balranald, NSW] was fought on 14 March 1720 as part of the Fifth Crusade. It was the largest battle fought during the Crusades era, and one of the largest battles fought anywhere in Aururia before the modern era. It marked the Dominion’s open invasion of Tjibarr, following the Hunter’s bid to subdue all of the Five Rivers. The Dominion forces were personally led by the Hunter, while Tjibarri soldiers formed the main opposition, together with some Gutjanalese allies.
The battlefield of Yangan is the most studied of all the battles of the Crusades era. Surviving accounts of the battle, its lead-up and its aftermath are plentiful, and allow military historians to provide a detailed depiction of where the battle took place, how events progressed, and the repercussions...
Background
The Crusades era, also known as the Yaluma period, was the time when the Dominion was forged as a new state in Aururia. In the first three crusades, the Dominion’s founding warleader, the Hunter, laid the foundations for a unified state from what had been many disparate, scattered peoples. The Fourth and Fifth Crusades, although given separate names, were part of a linked campaign to extend the Dominion’s rule to the countries further south: Murrginhi, Yigutji, Tjibarr and Gutjanal.
The Fourth Crusade (AD 1717-1718) saw the Dominion conquer Murrginhi, despite some support from Yigutjian and Tjibarri forces. After a period consolidating control of Murrginhi, the Hunter led the Dominion forces into Yigutji, as the first phase of the intended conquest of all three Five Rivers kingdoms...
Prelude
The fall of Yigutji City on 25 December 1719 marked the effective end of the eponymous kingdom, despite a few holdouts. After this, Tjuwagga set up a temporary administrative capital in Garrkimang, while regrouping his forces, tending to the wounded, resupplying, and making the first appointments for rulers in what had been Yigutji.
During this time, the Dominion had diplomatic contact with Tjibarr, exchanging a series of letters and emissaries. This contact did not lead any form of diplomatic resolution. The Hunter called on Tjibarr to submit, as he did with all forms of contact, and this was unsurprisingly rejected. Further exchanges followed, but did nothing other than convince both sides that an invasion was imminent.
The Hunter and his war council decided to keep their armies on the right bank of the Matjidi [Murrumbidgee], to avoid being trapped on the more hostile side of the river, and because reliable crossings were few. The Dominion forces left Garrkimang on 27 February 1720, marching steadily downriver toward Tjibarri territory. They followed the course of the Matjidi [Murrumbidgee], taking advantage of the roads which ran alongside or near that river, and using captured boats to assist in bringing some supplies downriver. On 11 March 1720, they arrived in the vicinity of Yangan, where their scouts reported that the Tjibarri forces had been awaiting them.
The Tjibarri armies had been deployed along the only plausible line of advance, in anticipation of the Dominion’s arrival. Yangan marked a sensible strategic choice. It was far enough from the former Yigutji-Tjibarr border that Dominion scouts would not know in advance the site which had been chosen. Crucially, at Yangan the Matjidi was reliably deep enough that regardless of rainfall, boats could still access the town to ferry troops and maintain supplies. The location also meant that if the battle proved unfavourable, they had a choice of two roads or by water to withdraw, and could not be easily encircled.
According to some accounts, the Tjibarri had also chosen this location because it required the Dominion forces to advance past a variety of wetlands, so that they might catch an epidemic of swamp rash. This mosquito-borne disease was then endemic to the Five Rivers and often infected invading armies. While Tjibarri physicians of the time did not know that the disease was carried by mosquitoes, they had realised that being near wetlands made it more likely to catch the disease. Unfortunately for the Tjibarri, in this case there was no such outbreak of swamp rash.
The Tjibarri armies, with some Gutjanalese allies, had chosen their preferred battlefield, and were well-armed and well-supplied in anticipation of the Dominion’s arrival...
Geography
The site which the Tjibarri commanders had chosen for the battlefield lay on the floodplain of the lower Matjidi, slightly upriver from the city of Yangan. This land was not used for permanent crops, because floods on the lower Matjidi were prodigious enough that this land would regularly be inundated, destroying valuable produce. Instead, the rich grasses had been used to graze considerable herds of cattle and horses and, in former times, noroons [emus].
As a result of this, the floodplains were scattered with several artificial hills, which the Tjibarri called binbins. These were built using rock and soil extracted in the creation of the artificial wetlands closer to Yangan. They served as refuges where livestock could flee during times of flood. These binbins now served as part of the Tjibarri defensive strategy.
The Tjibarri commanders had selected this floodplain because it offered relatively open ground for musket fire, but had several of the binbins as good defensive positions and sites for artillery. This was a useful place to occupy for defenders, but not so blatantly strong a position that the Dominion might refuse battle.
While the terrain was a floodplain, in this particular year there had been no floods for several months, and so the ground was firm and suitable for manoeuvre...
Forces
Surviving records on both sides list the various Tjibarri and Dominion military units (except artillery) which participated in the battle, though not those of Gutjanal. These unit lists do not provide exact numbers, but permit modern historians to make reasonable estimates of the troop counts on each side. Notably, comparisons of sources from both sides also show that each side overestimated the size of their opposition.
The unit lists for each side, with the best estimates for unit strength, and where known, the name of each commander, are recorded in Figure 11.3…
Figure 11.3
Dominion Forces
Warbands (cavalry)
Unit Name Commander Strength
Blademasters The Hunter 2,400
Green Serpents Kyulibah 1,900
Thunderers Goonawa 2,100
Long Irons Unknown [FN1] 1,800
Harmony Battalion Malligo 600
Old Scorned Minjaree 1,700
Fearless Yongalla 2,200
Sapphires Nowenrat 1,500
Total 14,200
[FN1] The Long Irons were formerly commanded by Jowarra, who retired to Cankoona after the Fourth Crusade. The name of their new commander has been lost to history.
Goanna battalions (infantry)
Unit Name [FN2] Commander Strength
1st Battalion, “Spearthrowers” Munya 4,300
2nd Battalion, “Listeners” Unknown 3,700
3rd Battalion, “Eagle Eyes” Unknown 3,400
4th Battalion, “Mantrappers” Unknown 2,400
5th Battalion, “Burning Mouths” Ngondee 2,700
6th Battalion, “Potters” Unknown 2,500
Total 19,000
[FN2] Strictly speaking, the names for the Goanna battalions were nicknames, since they were never given officially recognised names during this era.
Artillery
At least 40 guns.
Tjibarri Forces
Infantry
Unit Commander Strength
Royal Watchers Unknown 1,800
Royal Guardians Unknown 1,600
Royal Hammers Unknown 1,600
Red Factionaries Unknown 3,000
Gray Factionaries Unknown 3,200
Green Factionaries Tjupangati 3,700
Blue Factionaries Unknown 2,400
Gold Factionaries Bunatjira 2,100
Black Factionaries Nyulinga the Black 2,700
White Factionaries Amaroo 3,000
Azure Factionaries Unknown 2,800
Total 27,900
Cavalry
Unit Name Commander Strength
Trumpeters Koreng 3,900
Fifth Quarterers [FN3] Yirrgan 3,500
Wanyu Guriban’s Finest Wanyu Guriban 900
Total 8,300
[FN3] The name Fifth Quarterers was adopted as an ironic nickname to suggest that football is more important than warfare. It suggested that the unit members waited until after the end of football (i.e. the fifth quarter) before taking the field of battle.
Artillery
At least 90 guns.
Gutjanalese Forces
Infantry: 4,800
Cavalry: 1,300
Battle
The Tjibarri and Gutjanalese forces deployed in a line of battle with their infantry deployed in the centre, taking advantage of three bin-bins, and their cavalry deployed on each flank. The royal battalions formed the centre of the line, with the White and Gold factionaries immediately on either side, the Azures and Blues further on their left flank, and the Reds and Greens on their right flank. The Grays and Blacks, together with the Gutjanalese infantry and cavalry, were kept in reserve. The Trumpeters screened the left flank, while the Fifth Quarterers and the Finest were on the right flank.
The Dominion forces were deployed with their infantry battalions on the centre and left flank: the 1st Goanna battalion on the left flank, then the 3rd, 5th, 4th and 6th, with the 2nd being held in reserve. The bulk of the cavalry was deployed on a weighted right flank, with the Blademasters, Harmony Battalion, Fearless, Thunderers, and Green Serpents deployed to attack the right flank. The Long Irons and Old Scorned were deployed to cover the left flank, with the Sapphires held in reserve (see Figure 11.4).
The Tjibarri plan of battle was to remain in a generally defensive formation and encourage the Dominion forces to attack, with sufficient cavalry available to screen their flanks and attack if needed, and use the reserves to plug any weaknesses in the line...
The Hunter’s strategy was to try to break through on the right, using his weight of cavalry. In particular, his personal warband was intended to attack the opposing royal and White infantry, with the support of the Harmony Battalion in a flanking attack to break them. This role was similar to one which the Harmony Battalion had performed admirably at Nhumarup in the Fourth Crusade. The remaining cavalry were intended to exploit that gap, or any other opportunity which presented itself, to break into the Tjibarri rear and trap a significant portion of their army. The infantry were expected to advance slowly and force the Tjibarri forces on the left flank to remain in place, and then act as an anvil which could trap the Tjibarri forces if they were broken on the right flank...
* * *
Clear and bright dawns the day of decision. Unhindered sunlight spreads over the chosen field, with no cloud daring to drift overhead.
From a distance, this land near Yangan appears to be a pattern of lines on a field of faded green. A winding ribbon of blue-brown marks the course of the Matjidi, while three criss-crossing lines of faded, khaki-coloured soil mark roads that travel near the river, through this land which is claimed by Tjibarr and contested by the growing power of the Dominion of Harmony.
Look closer, and other lines emerge into visibility. Two lines, composed of men and horses, prepared for a confrontation which many have been eagerly anticipating, while equally many have been dreading. Impatient horses whinny and prance, while impatient men murmur a thousand variations on the theme of commencement.
Above, a few ebony-coloured ravens and two black-brown eagles have already begun to circle, in nameless expectation of opportunity. No matter who claims victory on the field of battle this day, from the birds’ perspective, they will be the true winners.
The southern line, composed largely of the men of Tjibarr, holds steady, unmoving. Mostly it is composed of men on foot, dressed in the colours of their faction or in the neutral brown chosen by royal warriors. Most of the soldiers carry muskets with bayonets attached. Two units of the factionaries, those wearing red and green and closest to the river, have some soldiers who carry long pikes as well as some with muskets. At either end of the line, men wait on horseback, carrying a more miscellaneous combination of pistols, muskets, swords and spears.
In chosen places between the foot-soldiers, often on hilltops, rests artillery dragged there by horses or men the previous day. These guns are not expected to be decisive in battle, not according to any plans of the many men of many factions who have employed them. Yet in accordance with a much-repeated maxim, any enemy who falls to a cannonball is one less to reach the Tjibarri lines.
In one of those units, composed of those wearing colours that are meant to be white but now marked with dust, Gurragang of the Whites stands, a musket by his side. He watches, the small elevation of the hill letting him see the enemy deployment. His heart beats rapidly as he considers, and frets.
He muses that so much planning, so much subtle skill and manoeuvring, has been prepared for strengthening Tjibarr. The factions contain men experienced in the art of understanding their foes, and they studied the ways of the Yadji, of Gutjanal and Yigutji, and the many nations of the Raw Men. They all sought to understand, and to prepare as best they could, for how to strengthen the nation and weaken all rivals. Yet in all of this, no-one foresaw – no-one could have foreseen – the arrival of the Hunter.
So, Gurragang watches, and worries, that Tjibarr has been forced into this battle which is a great gamble, against a man who has had a lifetime of winning battles against all comers.
In the northern line, rather more men are on horseback, with most of those on the end of the line farthest from the river. The cavalrymen – and handful of cavalrywomen – are likewise armed with an assortment of weapons, including some with bows. The footmen – and in this case they are all men – carry a mixture of spears and muskets, with only a few of those muskets possessing bayonets.
Just behind the main force of the northern line, the Hunter sits on his horse atop another of the small hills scattered across the field of battle. His warleaders Malligo and Yongalla await his final instructions.
The Hunter surveys the deployment of the opposing troops, smiles, and speaks. “They have deployed as planned. The central hill is the decisive place. Malligo, I will lead my warband there, with yours shadowing us. If they break, you will be best positioned to rout them, with Yongalla’s warband in support. If they hold on the first charge, then you flank them as you did at Nhumarup. If any of their other foot-men interfere with you, Yongalla can attack them.”
The two other commanders shake their heads in agreement, then all three of them ride down the gentle slope back toward their units. Soon thereafter, banners are raised as signals. Battle drums sound amongst the Dominion foot-soldiers, and they begin to advance on the centre and left of the field of battle. After the infantry have begun to close the gap, the Hunter snaps further orders and his warband begins to ride forward, with the other cavalry units also advancing, while staying a little further back than the Hunter’s unit.
Cannons bark in response, with the cannonballs flying out through the gaps between the Tjibarri units. Some men and horses are struck down, but too few to stop or even slow the advance.
The Dominion infantry are closing on the left, with musket fire cracking through the air, while the smoke from black powder rises. In the centre, the Dominion cavalry are also closing the gap, with the Hunter’s warband the nearest. One volley of musket fire follows from the Whites and the Royal Guardians. A few more men are struck down, but not nearly enough to stem the advance.
With a cry of “for Tjuwagga and for harmony!” the warband charges into the Tjibarri lines. Men fall from pistol shot and sword-swing, while riders die from bayonet or musket-fire. Yet muskets are not quickly reloaded, and while bayonets offer some defence, it quickly proves that they are not a match to sword-carrying men atop horses. More of the foot-men are falling than horse-men, and it is clear that their line is wavering.
Standing in the third rank from the front, musket and bayonet ready, Gurragang cannot stop a few tears from trickling down his cheeks. It is not his own death he fears, but the end of Tjibarr. He knows from reports he has heard many times what will happen if the unit breaks and the Dominion cavalry can attack the Tjibarri forces from both front and rear.
Not far away, Malligo is at the head of his own warband. He watches and waits, preparing for the right time. The Hunter’s warband is fully engaged, and the Tjibarri look close to breaking. He needs to judge his moment carefully.
A few more moments, a few more deaths, and it appears as if the Whites are about to break. A couple of men are fleeing from the rear.
All looks ready. Malligo says, “It is time.” He raises his voice. “Trumpeter! Play Beat the Drums!”
The trumpeter looks, blinks, and looks again. “Yes, commander!”
The trumpet call rings out the favoured marching tune, and the Harmony Battalion begins their advance, gradually increasing their speed. The trumpeter keeps playing the tune at first, until the hastening pace means he needs to stop.
In the vagaries of battle and wind, the firearms around Gurragang have stopped, and the cries cease for a few moments, letting the breeze carry the faint sound of the trumpet call across the gap. Gurragang recognises the tune, and he smiles wryly.
The Harmony Battalion increases to a charge, on an angle which brings them toward the flank of the embattled Tjibarri Whites, and to the Hunter’s warband which is trying to cut the Tjibarri apart. Malligo is at the centre, but he needs to give no orders, no further refinements. This is a manoeuvre which his warband has practiced and discussed many times.
The front rank of the Harmony Battalion charges past the flank of the Whites, and straight into the rear of the Hunter’s warband.
Men die from pistols and swordstrokes as the Harmony Battalion cut through their completely unprepared former comrades. Emboldened, the formerly wavering Whites hold their ground. On their right, the Royal Guardians see the opportunity, and fire a volley into the Hunter’s beleaguered forces before charging into their other flank, surrounding them almost completely.
Though the soldiers enveloping the Hunter are too busy to notice, other Tjibarri units on either side are advancing too, threatening any further Dominion cavalry who might try to come to the Hunter’s aid.
Bereft of any support, outnumbered and encircled, the warband which calls itself the Blademasters has no hope. No surrender is called for, since all know it would not be honoured. The Hunter’s elite warband is cut down one by one.
In the midst of this melee, no man can say for certain who fired the crucial shot. Twenty-two men will later claim the credit, some of them mistaken, some of them lying, and possibly one telling the truth.
What is certain is that, amidst the closing struggle, Malligo was one of the first to notice that the Hunter had been shot. His voice of command, and the four elite warriors surrounding him, clears a path until Malligo stands over the Hunter.
Words are hard to find, amidst blood and fading life, but the Hunter manages to ask, “Why betray your oath?”
Many are the things which he could say, but only one which he chooses to utter.
“Never trust a Gunnagal,” Malligo says calmly, and watches until the Hunter’s life bleeds away.
* * *
Thoughts?
“This above all — to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene III
“Beat the drums – ride to war
Beat the drums – load the guns
Beat the drums – who fears death?
Beat the drums – none of us!”
- Marching song of the Harmony Battalion, 1719
* * *
1 January 1720
Outside former Yigutji [Wagga Wagga], Dominion of Harmony
Malligo sat on horseback, with the Hunter on his immediate left and Kyulibah on the Hunter’s other hand. Ahead of them, Yigutji burned, though the smoke had been reduced to occasional bursts rather than the black pillar which it had been for the first days. Other soldiers were around, but all of them discreetly out of hearing range.
Kyulibah said, “Where to from here, High Warego?”
The Hunter’s gaze remained fixed on the walls. Perhaps he was looking for Puckapunyal, whose corpse had not been found, and he had not been seen amongst those who fled. But then, with the flames so intense, the odds of finding the body were low even if the king had died.
At length, the Hunter said, “I have considered moving to Garrkimang [Narrandera]. The old homeland of conquerors second only to myself. It will make a good base while the rest of Yigutji is subdued.”
Malligo said, “Garrkimang will make a good capital for the Five Rivers under the Dominion, but it would be imprudent to wait there long.”
Kyulibah said, “You think that Tjibarr will move into our new lands?”
“Not with their armies, alas,” Malligo said. “They will not be so foolish. It would be easier if they did. Waiting here would be imprudent because while the city has fallen, Yigutji has not. Not properly.”
“Yigutji has no proper armies left,” Kyulibah said.
“More can be raised,” Malligo said. “There are still opponents here. Worse, it may not be the kind of opposition who meets in open battle, but who strikes from raid or in the night. Tjibarr will send agents and arms to encourage opposition. Gutjanal may do the same, too.”
“Raids can be countered,” Kyulibah said.
“With time, blood and treasure, yes. But while doing so, this would not be consolidating the High Warego’s rule. Tjibarr will be undermining all such efforts, and there are enough unhappy Yigutjians to work with Tjibarr in unrest, raids, and in time, revolt.”
“You want me to strike at the heart, then. At Tjibarr,” the Hunter said.
“As soon as it is safe to do so.”
“Why not just close the borders to Tjibarr?” Kyulibah asked.
“It cannot be done. Not properly. There is too much trade, too many men moving goods too many ways, to seal out all of Tjibarr’s influence. Even if we succeed, somehow, blocking trade will upset too many men of consequence here, who will then revolt anyway. I suggest that Tjibarr be invaded with all reasonable haste, as soon as the armies can be reorganised and resupplied, and any unneeded plunder sent back to the Neeburra to wait.”
The Hunter studied the half-broken walls of Yigutji again for some time before he responded. “It shall be done. Tjibarr must fall.”
Kyulibah looked at Malligo. “How will you feel, invading your homeland?”
“My old homeland,” Malligo said. “I hope that they submit quickly. It will take at least one defeat for them to capitulate. After that, the example of Yigutji should be persuasive.”
“And if not?”
“Then one of their cities can be besieged, and go the same way as Yigutji.” Malligo shrugged. “The rest will submit quickly after that.”
* * *
From a letter dated Goanna Day, Cycle of Brass, 30th Year of His Majesty Guwariyan the Second (1 January 1720)
To Gurragang of the Whites from your friend Bunatjira of the Golds: May you continue to grow in courage, wealth and insight. May you stand firm against the rigours of misfortune.
[Translator’s note: Tjibarri letters traditionally begin with a variety of ritual pleasantries. May you stand firm against the rigours of misfortune is not one of those traditional phrasings. Going outside of the standard sayings would in most circumstances be considered a grave insult, though a threat as severe as the Hunter would allow forgiveness of most insults.]
Yigutji has fallen. As Weemiraga is said to have remarked at his funeral, I expected this day, but not so soon. Reliable reports are difficult to obtain, but it appears that Tjuwagga’s cannon broke the city’s once nigh-impregnable walls. The kingdom is, for now, at an end.
Tjibarr-of-the-Lakes is not so vulnerable, so long as we keep control of the waters.
[Translator’s note: This is because Tjibarr-of-the-Lakes was surrounded by water on all sides. The Nyalananga [River Murray] was to the north, the Anerina [River Loddon] to the east, and artificial lagoons to west and south. The roads between the lagoons were easily flooded in the event of threat, which meant that the city was surrounded by water and very difficult to capture unless an attacker could first gain naval control.]
Alas, that matters naught. Even if the city holds, the Dominion’s armies could ravage far too much of our countryside. Victory would then be only a more pleasant name for defeat.
The time, then, is past for contemplation of insights and plans. Subtlety has its place, but now it is a matter of blood and powder. We must meet the Hunter’s forces on the battlefield soon. You must ready yourself for one great battle, as must we all, to ensure that Tjibarr does not suffer the same fate as Yigutji.
(Signed) Bunatjira of the Golds
* * *
From: Jamberoo’s Decisive Battles in World History
Battle of Yangan
The Battle of Yangan [Balranald, NSW] was fought on 14 March 1720 as part of the Fifth Crusade. It was the largest battle fought during the Crusades era, and one of the largest battles fought anywhere in Aururia before the modern era. It marked the Dominion’s open invasion of Tjibarr, following the Hunter’s bid to subdue all of the Five Rivers. The Dominion forces were personally led by the Hunter, while Tjibarri soldiers formed the main opposition, together with some Gutjanalese allies.
The battlefield of Yangan is the most studied of all the battles of the Crusades era. Surviving accounts of the battle, its lead-up and its aftermath are plentiful, and allow military historians to provide a detailed depiction of where the battle took place, how events progressed, and the repercussions...
Background
The Crusades era, also known as the Yaluma period, was the time when the Dominion was forged as a new state in Aururia. In the first three crusades, the Dominion’s founding warleader, the Hunter, laid the foundations for a unified state from what had been many disparate, scattered peoples. The Fourth and Fifth Crusades, although given separate names, were part of a linked campaign to extend the Dominion’s rule to the countries further south: Murrginhi, Yigutji, Tjibarr and Gutjanal.
The Fourth Crusade (AD 1717-1718) saw the Dominion conquer Murrginhi, despite some support from Yigutjian and Tjibarri forces. After a period consolidating control of Murrginhi, the Hunter led the Dominion forces into Yigutji, as the first phase of the intended conquest of all three Five Rivers kingdoms...
Prelude
The fall of Yigutji City on 25 December 1719 marked the effective end of the eponymous kingdom, despite a few holdouts. After this, Tjuwagga set up a temporary administrative capital in Garrkimang, while regrouping his forces, tending to the wounded, resupplying, and making the first appointments for rulers in what had been Yigutji.
During this time, the Dominion had diplomatic contact with Tjibarr, exchanging a series of letters and emissaries. This contact did not lead any form of diplomatic resolution. The Hunter called on Tjibarr to submit, as he did with all forms of contact, and this was unsurprisingly rejected. Further exchanges followed, but did nothing other than convince both sides that an invasion was imminent.
The Hunter and his war council decided to keep their armies on the right bank of the Matjidi [Murrumbidgee], to avoid being trapped on the more hostile side of the river, and because reliable crossings were few. The Dominion forces left Garrkimang on 27 February 1720, marching steadily downriver toward Tjibarri territory. They followed the course of the Matjidi [Murrumbidgee], taking advantage of the roads which ran alongside or near that river, and using captured boats to assist in bringing some supplies downriver. On 11 March 1720, they arrived in the vicinity of Yangan, where their scouts reported that the Tjibarri forces had been awaiting them.
The Tjibarri armies had been deployed along the only plausible line of advance, in anticipation of the Dominion’s arrival. Yangan marked a sensible strategic choice. It was far enough from the former Yigutji-Tjibarr border that Dominion scouts would not know in advance the site which had been chosen. Crucially, at Yangan the Matjidi was reliably deep enough that regardless of rainfall, boats could still access the town to ferry troops and maintain supplies. The location also meant that if the battle proved unfavourable, they had a choice of two roads or by water to withdraw, and could not be easily encircled.
According to some accounts, the Tjibarri had also chosen this location because it required the Dominion forces to advance past a variety of wetlands, so that they might catch an epidemic of swamp rash. This mosquito-borne disease was then endemic to the Five Rivers and often infected invading armies. While Tjibarri physicians of the time did not know that the disease was carried by mosquitoes, they had realised that being near wetlands made it more likely to catch the disease. Unfortunately for the Tjibarri, in this case there was no such outbreak of swamp rash.
The Tjibarri armies, with some Gutjanalese allies, had chosen their preferred battlefield, and were well-armed and well-supplied in anticipation of the Dominion’s arrival...
Geography
The site which the Tjibarri commanders had chosen for the battlefield lay on the floodplain of the lower Matjidi, slightly upriver from the city of Yangan. This land was not used for permanent crops, because floods on the lower Matjidi were prodigious enough that this land would regularly be inundated, destroying valuable produce. Instead, the rich grasses had been used to graze considerable herds of cattle and horses and, in former times, noroons [emus].
As a result of this, the floodplains were scattered with several artificial hills, which the Tjibarri called binbins. These were built using rock and soil extracted in the creation of the artificial wetlands closer to Yangan. They served as refuges where livestock could flee during times of flood. These binbins now served as part of the Tjibarri defensive strategy.
The Tjibarri commanders had selected this floodplain because it offered relatively open ground for musket fire, but had several of the binbins as good defensive positions and sites for artillery. This was a useful place to occupy for defenders, but not so blatantly strong a position that the Dominion might refuse battle.
While the terrain was a floodplain, in this particular year there had been no floods for several months, and so the ground was firm and suitable for manoeuvre...
Forces
Surviving records on both sides list the various Tjibarri and Dominion military units (except artillery) which participated in the battle, though not those of Gutjanal. These unit lists do not provide exact numbers, but permit modern historians to make reasonable estimates of the troop counts on each side. Notably, comparisons of sources from both sides also show that each side overestimated the size of their opposition.
The unit lists for each side, with the best estimates for unit strength, and where known, the name of each commander, are recorded in Figure 11.3…
Figure 11.3
Dominion Forces
Warbands (cavalry)
Unit Name Commander Strength
Blademasters The Hunter 2,400
Green Serpents Kyulibah 1,900
Thunderers Goonawa 2,100
Long Irons Unknown [FN1] 1,800
Harmony Battalion Malligo 600
Old Scorned Minjaree 1,700
Fearless Yongalla 2,200
Sapphires Nowenrat 1,500
Total 14,200
[FN1] The Long Irons were formerly commanded by Jowarra, who retired to Cankoona after the Fourth Crusade. The name of their new commander has been lost to history.
Goanna battalions (infantry)
Unit Name [FN2] Commander Strength
1st Battalion, “Spearthrowers” Munya 4,300
2nd Battalion, “Listeners” Unknown 3,700
3rd Battalion, “Eagle Eyes” Unknown 3,400
4th Battalion, “Mantrappers” Unknown 2,400
5th Battalion, “Burning Mouths” Ngondee 2,700
6th Battalion, “Potters” Unknown 2,500
Total 19,000
[FN2] Strictly speaking, the names for the Goanna battalions were nicknames, since they were never given officially recognised names during this era.
Artillery
At least 40 guns.
Tjibarri Forces
Infantry
Unit Commander Strength
Royal Watchers Unknown 1,800
Royal Guardians Unknown 1,600
Royal Hammers Unknown 1,600
Red Factionaries Unknown 3,000
Gray Factionaries Unknown 3,200
Green Factionaries Tjupangati 3,700
Blue Factionaries Unknown 2,400
Gold Factionaries Bunatjira 2,100
Black Factionaries Nyulinga the Black 2,700
White Factionaries Amaroo 3,000
Azure Factionaries Unknown 2,800
Total 27,900
Cavalry
Unit Name Commander Strength
Trumpeters Koreng 3,900
Fifth Quarterers [FN3] Yirrgan 3,500
Wanyu Guriban’s Finest Wanyu Guriban 900
Total 8,300
[FN3] The name Fifth Quarterers was adopted as an ironic nickname to suggest that football is more important than warfare. It suggested that the unit members waited until after the end of football (i.e. the fifth quarter) before taking the field of battle.
Artillery
At least 90 guns.
Gutjanalese Forces
Infantry: 4,800
Cavalry: 1,300
Battle
The Tjibarri and Gutjanalese forces deployed in a line of battle with their infantry deployed in the centre, taking advantage of three bin-bins, and their cavalry deployed on each flank. The royal battalions formed the centre of the line, with the White and Gold factionaries immediately on either side, the Azures and Blues further on their left flank, and the Reds and Greens on their right flank. The Grays and Blacks, together with the Gutjanalese infantry and cavalry, were kept in reserve. The Trumpeters screened the left flank, while the Fifth Quarterers and the Finest were on the right flank.
The Dominion forces were deployed with their infantry battalions on the centre and left flank: the 1st Goanna battalion on the left flank, then the 3rd, 5th, 4th and 6th, with the 2nd being held in reserve. The bulk of the cavalry was deployed on a weighted right flank, with the Blademasters, Harmony Battalion, Fearless, Thunderers, and Green Serpents deployed to attack the right flank. The Long Irons and Old Scorned were deployed to cover the left flank, with the Sapphires held in reserve (see Figure 11.4).
The Tjibarri plan of battle was to remain in a generally defensive formation and encourage the Dominion forces to attack, with sufficient cavalry available to screen their flanks and attack if needed, and use the reserves to plug any weaknesses in the line...
The Hunter’s strategy was to try to break through on the right, using his weight of cavalry. In particular, his personal warband was intended to attack the opposing royal and White infantry, with the support of the Harmony Battalion in a flanking attack to break them. This role was similar to one which the Harmony Battalion had performed admirably at Nhumarup in the Fourth Crusade. The remaining cavalry were intended to exploit that gap, or any other opportunity which presented itself, to break into the Tjibarri rear and trap a significant portion of their army. The infantry were expected to advance slowly and force the Tjibarri forces on the left flank to remain in place, and then act as an anvil which could trap the Tjibarri forces if they were broken on the right flank...
* * *
Clear and bright dawns the day of decision. Unhindered sunlight spreads over the chosen field, with no cloud daring to drift overhead.
From a distance, this land near Yangan appears to be a pattern of lines on a field of faded green. A winding ribbon of blue-brown marks the course of the Matjidi, while three criss-crossing lines of faded, khaki-coloured soil mark roads that travel near the river, through this land which is claimed by Tjibarr and contested by the growing power of the Dominion of Harmony.
Look closer, and other lines emerge into visibility. Two lines, composed of men and horses, prepared for a confrontation which many have been eagerly anticipating, while equally many have been dreading. Impatient horses whinny and prance, while impatient men murmur a thousand variations on the theme of commencement.
Above, a few ebony-coloured ravens and two black-brown eagles have already begun to circle, in nameless expectation of opportunity. No matter who claims victory on the field of battle this day, from the birds’ perspective, they will be the true winners.
The southern line, composed largely of the men of Tjibarr, holds steady, unmoving. Mostly it is composed of men on foot, dressed in the colours of their faction or in the neutral brown chosen by royal warriors. Most of the soldiers carry muskets with bayonets attached. Two units of the factionaries, those wearing red and green and closest to the river, have some soldiers who carry long pikes as well as some with muskets. At either end of the line, men wait on horseback, carrying a more miscellaneous combination of pistols, muskets, swords and spears.
In chosen places between the foot-soldiers, often on hilltops, rests artillery dragged there by horses or men the previous day. These guns are not expected to be decisive in battle, not according to any plans of the many men of many factions who have employed them. Yet in accordance with a much-repeated maxim, any enemy who falls to a cannonball is one less to reach the Tjibarri lines.
In one of those units, composed of those wearing colours that are meant to be white but now marked with dust, Gurragang of the Whites stands, a musket by his side. He watches, the small elevation of the hill letting him see the enemy deployment. His heart beats rapidly as he considers, and frets.
He muses that so much planning, so much subtle skill and manoeuvring, has been prepared for strengthening Tjibarr. The factions contain men experienced in the art of understanding their foes, and they studied the ways of the Yadji, of Gutjanal and Yigutji, and the many nations of the Raw Men. They all sought to understand, and to prepare as best they could, for how to strengthen the nation and weaken all rivals. Yet in all of this, no-one foresaw – no-one could have foreseen – the arrival of the Hunter.
So, Gurragang watches, and worries, that Tjibarr has been forced into this battle which is a great gamble, against a man who has had a lifetime of winning battles against all comers.
In the northern line, rather more men are on horseback, with most of those on the end of the line farthest from the river. The cavalrymen – and handful of cavalrywomen – are likewise armed with an assortment of weapons, including some with bows. The footmen – and in this case they are all men – carry a mixture of spears and muskets, with only a few of those muskets possessing bayonets.
Just behind the main force of the northern line, the Hunter sits on his horse atop another of the small hills scattered across the field of battle. His warleaders Malligo and Yongalla await his final instructions.
The Hunter surveys the deployment of the opposing troops, smiles, and speaks. “They have deployed as planned. The central hill is the decisive place. Malligo, I will lead my warband there, with yours shadowing us. If they break, you will be best positioned to rout them, with Yongalla’s warband in support. If they hold on the first charge, then you flank them as you did at Nhumarup. If any of their other foot-men interfere with you, Yongalla can attack them.”
The two other commanders shake their heads in agreement, then all three of them ride down the gentle slope back toward their units. Soon thereafter, banners are raised as signals. Battle drums sound amongst the Dominion foot-soldiers, and they begin to advance on the centre and left of the field of battle. After the infantry have begun to close the gap, the Hunter snaps further orders and his warband begins to ride forward, with the other cavalry units also advancing, while staying a little further back than the Hunter’s unit.
Cannons bark in response, with the cannonballs flying out through the gaps between the Tjibarri units. Some men and horses are struck down, but too few to stop or even slow the advance.
The Dominion infantry are closing on the left, with musket fire cracking through the air, while the smoke from black powder rises. In the centre, the Dominion cavalry are also closing the gap, with the Hunter’s warband the nearest. One volley of musket fire follows from the Whites and the Royal Guardians. A few more men are struck down, but not nearly enough to stem the advance.
With a cry of “for Tjuwagga and for harmony!” the warband charges into the Tjibarri lines. Men fall from pistol shot and sword-swing, while riders die from bayonet or musket-fire. Yet muskets are not quickly reloaded, and while bayonets offer some defence, it quickly proves that they are not a match to sword-carrying men atop horses. More of the foot-men are falling than horse-men, and it is clear that their line is wavering.
Standing in the third rank from the front, musket and bayonet ready, Gurragang cannot stop a few tears from trickling down his cheeks. It is not his own death he fears, but the end of Tjibarr. He knows from reports he has heard many times what will happen if the unit breaks and the Dominion cavalry can attack the Tjibarri forces from both front and rear.
Not far away, Malligo is at the head of his own warband. He watches and waits, preparing for the right time. The Hunter’s warband is fully engaged, and the Tjibarri look close to breaking. He needs to judge his moment carefully.
A few more moments, a few more deaths, and it appears as if the Whites are about to break. A couple of men are fleeing from the rear.
All looks ready. Malligo says, “It is time.” He raises his voice. “Trumpeter! Play Beat the Drums!”
The trumpeter looks, blinks, and looks again. “Yes, commander!”
The trumpet call rings out the favoured marching tune, and the Harmony Battalion begins their advance, gradually increasing their speed. The trumpeter keeps playing the tune at first, until the hastening pace means he needs to stop.
In the vagaries of battle and wind, the firearms around Gurragang have stopped, and the cries cease for a few moments, letting the breeze carry the faint sound of the trumpet call across the gap. Gurragang recognises the tune, and he smiles wryly.
The Harmony Battalion increases to a charge, on an angle which brings them toward the flank of the embattled Tjibarri Whites, and to the Hunter’s warband which is trying to cut the Tjibarri apart. Malligo is at the centre, but he needs to give no orders, no further refinements. This is a manoeuvre which his warband has practiced and discussed many times.
The front rank of the Harmony Battalion charges past the flank of the Whites, and straight into the rear of the Hunter’s warband.
Men die from pistols and swordstrokes as the Harmony Battalion cut through their completely unprepared former comrades. Emboldened, the formerly wavering Whites hold their ground. On their right, the Royal Guardians see the opportunity, and fire a volley into the Hunter’s beleaguered forces before charging into their other flank, surrounding them almost completely.
Though the soldiers enveloping the Hunter are too busy to notice, other Tjibarri units on either side are advancing too, threatening any further Dominion cavalry who might try to come to the Hunter’s aid.
Bereft of any support, outnumbered and encircled, the warband which calls itself the Blademasters has no hope. No surrender is called for, since all know it would not be honoured. The Hunter’s elite warband is cut down one by one.
In the midst of this melee, no man can say for certain who fired the crucial shot. Twenty-two men will later claim the credit, some of them mistaken, some of them lying, and possibly one telling the truth.
What is certain is that, amidst the closing struggle, Malligo was one of the first to notice that the Hunter had been shot. His voice of command, and the four elite warriors surrounding him, clears a path until Malligo stands over the Hunter.
Words are hard to find, amidst blood and fading life, but the Hunter manages to ask, “Why betray your oath?”
Many are the things which he could say, but only one which he chooses to utter.
“Never trust a Gunnagal,” Malligo says calmly, and watches until the Hunter’s life bleeds away.
* * *
Thoughts?
Wow, that's a dramatic twist.
It's a great moment and wonderfully written but I will admit I find Malligo serving for years as a double agent working faithfully and skilfully for the Hunter just to get into a position to backstab him a little too perfect. It's the sort of thing real life spymasters never really managed.
It's a great moment and wonderfully written but I will admit I find Malligo serving for years as a double agent working faithfully and skilfully for the Hunter just to get into a position to backstab him a little too perfect. It's the sort of thing real life spymasters never really managed.
It's not the poetry of the moment that I object to. There's literally hundreds of examples of plans being undone because men switched sides or rebelled or weren't loyal in the moment. The hunter's arrogance being rewarded by being backstabbed by a man who he believed had joined him just cos the hutner is that great, is a wonderful poetic twist that I buy entirely.
It's long term plans and conspiracies being pulled off that perfectly that I'm suspicious of, especially since we're told the battallion have discussed this in depth. None of the Harmony Battallion have split loyalties? None fancy reporting Malligo to the Hunter for reward?
So Gurragang didn't know for certain whether Malligo was about to break his oath or not, and right up until the day of the final battle? Sounds stressful.
Well... what now? An earlier post says the Harmony Battalion is supposed to outlast the Yaluma Era, so I guess they'll just be an elite unit of the Tjibarri army now (but keeping their Dominion name as a memento of their first big victory). And if they're serving in wars as far as Aotearoa, I'm guessing that Tjibarr will remain a premier Aururian power. The Battalion will probably use the "hey remember when we saved the country" card to win some kind of privilege for the Blues, and faction politics goes on as usual.
And the Dominion... assuming the Waregos assemble some kind of short-term collegiate leadership structure (maybe a respected elder like Yongalla can be interim leader), they'll now have two martyrs who died in the Five Rivers. If Yigutji paid one price for Burren, then the price for Tjuwagga had better be the capital and every last football field in the country. But if Tjibarr is still strong then I guess they never had to pay such a price.
Oh man... something makes me think Pinjarra is going to end up being forced to answer for this whole mess too. Especially if someone as obsessed with "strength" as Goonawa becomes the next High Warego.
I'm absolutely appalled at the recent turn of events and cannot wait for more.
There's only around 600 of them, and all were (we can guess) carefully vetted by Malligo's allies back home. I think a coordinated coup like this with around that number of members is at least feasible, even if this level of perfection is a little harder to accept. I might have preferred it if some Blademasters actually managed to break out and maybe kill Malligo or something.
Well... what now? An earlier post says the Harmony Battalion is supposed to outlast the Yaluma Era, so I guess they'll just be an elite unit of the Tjibarri army now (but keeping their Dominion name as a memento of their first big victory). And if they're serving in wars as far as Aotearoa, I'm guessing that Tjibarr will remain a premier Aururian power. The Battalion will probably use the "hey remember when we saved the country" card to win some kind of privilege for the Blues, and faction politics goes on as usual.
And the Dominion... assuming the Waregos assemble some kind of short-term collegiate leadership structure (maybe a respected elder like Yongalla can be interim leader), they'll now have two martyrs who died in the Five Rivers. If Yigutji paid one price for Burren, then the price for Tjuwagga had better be the capital and every last football field in the country. But if Tjibarr is still strong then I guess they never had to pay such a price.
Oh man... something makes me think Pinjarra is going to end up being forced to answer for this whole mess too. Especially if someone as obsessed with "strength" as Goonawa becomes the next High Warego.
I'm absolutely appalled at the recent turn of events and cannot wait for more.
There's only around 600 of them, and all were (we can guess) carefully vetted by Malligo's allies back home. I think a coordinated coup like this with around that number of members is at least feasible, even if this level of perfection is a little harder to accept. I might have preferred it if some Blademasters actually managed to break out and maybe kill Malligo or something.
Damn that Malligo, I had high hopes for the Hunter.
Tjibarr is screwed, once the other Waregos regroup, I don’t think Malligo could stop the hordes of horsemen from raiding Tjibar. I can see Malligo being assasinated and the Harmony battalion going elsewhere(probabaly Aotorea) after this.
Bravo Jared, you just pulled one of the biggest top ten plot twists.
Tjibarr is screwed, once the other Waregos regroup, I don’t think Malligo could stop the hordes of horsemen from raiding Tjibar. I can see Malligo being assasinated and the Harmony battalion going elsewhere(probabaly Aotorea) after this.
Bravo Jared, you just pulled one of the biggest top ten plot twists.
